Revenue Roadmap
Revenue Strategies for Family Law Firms
Learn from the experts behind the growth of sterlinglawyers.com Anthony Karls, President of Rocket Clicks/co-founder of Sterling Lawyers, and Tyler Dolph, CEO of Rocket Clicks, interview the experts in all the areas that will drive revenue and increase profits for family law firms
Get technical knowledge and learn from the experience of those who paid the price to learn what it takes to grow from an idea to an exclusively family law firm with 30+ attorneys.
Revenue Roadmap
The 7 GROWTH Secrets Albert Used to Start a Law Firm
Struggling to figure out how one attorney pivoted from broker-dealer licensing back to building a thriving family law firm?
In this video, Albert shares the 7 GROWTH secrets that fueled his jump from long hours and tight resources to profitable practice ownership.
By the end, you’ll learn how to embrace discomfort, cultivate human connection, and secure steady, responsible expansion for your own law firm’s success.
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CHECK OUT THESE RELATED VIDEOS:
How ONE Conversation Launched Jacqueline's 30-Attorney Firm
https://youtu.be/xKdsooojqYA?feature=shared
How Joshua Fueled His Full-Service Law Firm in Texas
How Andy Strauss Grew a 35-Person Estate Planning Firm
https://youtu.be/6JIWLjm4I1Y?si=23-7leurbBPs0uE2
📄 CHAPTERS
00:00 - The Spark: Building a Family Law Firm from Zero
02:32 - Series 7 & Lessons from the Broker-Dealer World
06:44 - Mastering the Grind: 14-Hour Days & Early Struggles
09:34 - Accelerated Growth: Hiring, Culture & Profits
12:19 - Human Connection: Why Client Service Wins
16:21 - Pro Tips: Surviving the Leap & Achieving Success
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On today's revenue roadmap. Albert reminds us of the power of human connection and why client service is key to growing a successful law firm business. Welcome back to the Revenue roadmap, where we talk about driving revenue and increasing profits in family law firms. I'm your host, Tyler Dolph. And with me today is Albert Aguado Jr, a founding member of the Albert Mathews law firm serving Fort Myers and Naples, Florida. Today, we're going to learn a little bit about, Albert's history, how he was able to build his amazing firm, and some lessons he learned along the way. Albert, it's great to have you on the show. Thank you. Tyler. Matt. It's a great pleasure to be here. Thank you. I love it. Well, give us a little background. Little perspective on your history. I saw I was reading your bio on your website and you, we're doing, you have your series seven, you've done some financial mentoring. I'd love to hear a little bit about your history. Sure. So the series seven was because. Well, in handling, you know, well over a thousand cases. You know, I had reached a point in my career where I didn't want to help, you know, people get divorced. It was. It was hard to see people go through that day in and day out. It was before the pandemic, and so I needed to change. And so I went to work for a large, broker dealer and got my licensing. But ultimately, the drive to the, journey, you know, isn't something you can, you know, quell that easily. So I missed it. I wanted to get back into it after about a two and a half year hiatus. I, contacted a good friend in my current partner can demo, and we started Albert Matthews. But the series seven was a really eye opening experience. Because when you're helping people build wealth, it's the same type of questions. It's just a different perspective. You know, it's not about, well, how am I preserving what I have? Or you're going from two incomes in a joint household to one household and one income. It's can you preserve my wealth for a, you know, in a long period of time. So it helps it helps with perspective, actually. Yes. No. And I had started, when I left law school, when we ended law school and settled for the bar. I'm from the Fort Myers area, I should say, I moved here when I was a child, and so my former wife and I moved back here and wanted to start a family in this area. And so I had received an offer to work at a firm in Naples, which didn't pan out all that well. The individual that was running the firm really wasn't present. I think that generally I was frustrated. And so after only a couple of months, maybe six at most, I decided that if I couldn't start my own law firm and make what I was earning there, I really should just consider possibly doing something else. So, with the support of my parents and my former wife, I had started at that time. What is technically a partner of this firm? Albert, outward par and that's that was probably like the most defining moment in my career, to be honest. Starting that law firm from the ground up instead of looking for work because it was 2012, people still were on the, you know, cusp or should we hire or is it recession? You know, the prices were still depressed here this this area gets, whacked by any recessionary movements pretty easily. So, we had moved, you know, back to being our family, but it was it was kind of nerve wracking, to say the least. And starting that firm was. That's where I really cut my chops in to sink or swim, fight or flight mode. That is awesome. We talked to so many law firm owners who have been in that that exact same spot. You know, do I go join another firm, or am I? Am I going to set up a shingle and do this myself? Yeah. We've heard about, you know, so many like, key lessons learned during that process, knowing that like, not only do you have to be an amazing attorney, you now have to be an entrepreneur. You have to learn how to run a business. Talk to us about some of those early days where there's some key hires that you made, or key decisions that really allowed you to sort of step off and be successful. So when I started, I. When I first had that that initial, job offer, it was for a criminal and family law attorney who did criminal. And I guess the biggest difference between, you know, criminal and family law firms from a, from a, financial standpoint, is how they charge their clients. You know, criminal attorneys work on a flat fee representation. And so this individual had a lot of flat fee agreements that he hadn't fully been paid on. I think I took like $5,000 of payment plans over from him. He was happy to let go of the firm. He actually closed after that. And so I had $5,000 of promised revenue. I had asked his paralegal to join me, so I was going to pay her her salary. That was scary. I had a little bit of money saved, and I just started doing with what I thought I knew already had to do, which was going out and meeting people. From, like I said, I'm from the area spent at that point, 25 years here. So I went met people at, I was a lawyer. I had made introductions to other attorneys in the area. I had gotten a reputation of being relatively quick on my feet. As as a trial attorney. So then from there, it was just meeting people and trying to get people in the door to have a consultation. I tried some level of marketing that got people, to meet with us and, you know, website clicking, advertising things of that nature. It helped for a little while, but it wasn't an overall, it was a solution for us at the time. And so we just continued to help people. And then I focused on learning the accounting, YouTubing things about how to build chart of accounts. How is QuickBooks work? It was a lot of 14, 15 hour days, six and a half days a week. Especially that first couple of years. I felt bad for my former wife. She didn't see me very much. I mean, it is a grind, right? Opening an office and starting a business is. Is harder than people make it seem. You know, everybody talks about that whole overnight success takes five, six, seven, ten years. That seems like you went through that same, same journey. On the other side of that, knowing that you eventually, you know, stopped, working at that firm. You did the financial advisor thing, and now, sorry, this this firm with your partner doing it the second time around or third potentially. I mean, so I had a little bit more of the story. Was after about two and a half years of being on my own, I'd been approached by three prominent law firms. And so I took a step working with what I consider to be a very, He's a very respected attorney. He's he's essentially the professor emeritus of family law in our coast. And I really enjoyed working with him and his two partners. I ended up leaving that firm with one of the partners, and we started a partnership. Because as much as I enjoyed working for a really prominent firm, they're very decent human beings. I mean, beyond decent. I've really missed being, you know, in the entrepreneurial spirit of things like you, once you get used to that. I mean, if you're willing to go out on your own and open your own office, and if you have any modicum of success, there's nothing better than watching somebody put their entire trust in you and you deliver. You know, I tell people all the time, I do not guarantee results, I guarantee effort. And I learned that a long time ago. It's not just treating others the way you want to be treated. If somebody comes to you with a problem, and maybe it's more of my personality that I. I really feel for the people that I work with because they're going through probably the second most dramatic moment of their lives, behind the death of a loved one. And so I, I put myself in their shoes. I try to I try to figure out how to solve the issues reasonably. And so when I jump to that firm and it was a great experience from, from learning how to work with high net worth individuals, I ultimately missed, you know, forming the partnership and working through the day to day the administrative tasks. That's part of it. You know, I want people to rely on me. That's not just my clients. It's the people that I surround myself. Not to answer your overall question, when I worked for the broker dealer, there was really none of that. And so I think that's what was really missing. I have that fire in my belly to run my own, my own office. And so when we started, it was just me and my partner. And then we quickly hired, actually, my mother was working locally at a doctor's office. She said there was a promising young woman who wanted to get into, working as a legal assistant or a paralegal. She just didn't know how to make the jump. So she came over and joined the firm. I trained her as my legal assistant, and she's been my right hand for the last three and a half years. And she picked up quick. And then from there, and now we have four attorneys. We have 3 to 4 support staff and, and somebody who helps my partner with his title agency. So in three years, that's a pretty good, amount of growth. I'm happy with it. So. Well, the idea is to get, you know, more boots on the ground. We want to try to expand into, the Naples market with somebody who's there full time. Besides my partner. I jump between both counties. I have one attorney that I've worked with that I've known for ten and a half years. She works for us remotely. And then I have another attorney who works in the Fort Myers office with me in person. And ideally, we would like to be able to open our offices a little further north in the Sarasota and the Tampa Bay market. I don't know how quickly we can do that, but I also want to make sure that the progression is steady, responsible. You know, we offer full benefits to our employees. I want to make sure we always have that option, and we're always financing that in a manner that would never be in jeopardy. So on top of the fact that we're a very busy law firm. So I also have enough work to, to to keep my eye on, you know, my computer screens, the three of them in front of me, you know, for 12 hours a day, consistently. So I gotta I gotta be responsible in that manner. Albert, if I could summarize what I'm hearing. You know, it seems like you have that. That passion, that work ethic to do whatever it takes to to make your firm successful. You know, you mentioned a couple times just the sheer number of hours that you're having to work to to make your firm, firm run and I think someone listening to this who, who maybe in a, you know, younger spot or just starting out, I mean, it's it's not easy. It's a grind. And you have to put those hours into to build something that you're truly passionate about. And then the other thing I'm hearing is your dedication to client service doing the right thing. Being able to meet your clients where they are. And be able to help them through such a difficult time in their life. We talk about values and culture a lot on this show. Would you say that that those two definitely embody your firm? Are there any others that are worth sharing? That's absolutely correct. You have to value what you're doing for an individual. I have a note I actually keep on my computer screen every day, and I have it staring at me for a reason. It says, just remember, you don't know what type of day they're having. So be kind when I'm sitting and talking with somebody, if they're frustrated because their expectations of how a should move or if they're calling me for a first time, or maybe they're calling me six months after they've initially spoken with me. I really try to focus on that. Because when you're having that conversation with somebody who's going through what is a financially stressful, emotionally stressful time, you want to make sure that you're keeping in the context that they're not a bad person, they're just going through a bad time. They may be reacting. I've been there. I've mentioned that I have a former wife. And luckily we're great co-parents together. But I can't say with any, with any uncertainty that that was the hardest, you know, experience of my life. And so what better way to understand my clients that do have gone through it? I didn't necessarily want to learn the lesson to be able to, to, to vouch for the experience, but it is it is something that's valuable. You know, it's kind of like when I was younger attorney and I didn't have children. People say, well, do you even have children? Can you understand what we're going? I have a child. I understand completely, I've been divorced. I understand completely to a certain degree. And so I utilize that. So we we try to use pragmatism, a lot to, you know, function, over form is important when we're helping our clients and being practical, being understanding, trying to work with them. Those are all, like you already pointed out. It's it's the culture. It's just about putting the person first. I mean, we we are a profitable firm, but we don't sit down and think about that. When we start our day, we sit down and think about, okay, ten meaning what are we going to talk about today for this person's case? What's next on the agenda? What's this? What's that? I often get accused of forgetting to send out bills to my client and invoicing my clients, and then they'll email me and say, are you going to send that out? And then, you know, it's like, oh, you know, crap, forgot, you know? And so that's kind of a fun problem to have. Like when I'm sitting here worried about the work more than the bottom line. That's a big difference. Then, you know, the first couple of years because then you're wondering, okay, am I going to get a console that's going to, you know, hire us so I can pay my apparently those aren't fun, days, but they're also that's the you have to become comfortable being uncomfortable to succeed. You cannot go through life thinking that you're going to be comfortable. And I push myself to be uncomfortable every day. I was just teaching my daughter this lesson, over the weekend. My brother, he's an entrepreneur as well. He works in the Orlando market. And so him and I were having this discussion with my eight year old, telling her, you know, similar, similar things to sort of breathe the fire in her belly. So as she gets older, she remembers these lessons. Hopefully I'm there to continue to teach it to her, but I want to make sure I start early. I love it. That's so true. You know, just back to the customer service thing. Everyone talking about the advancement of AI and technology and, you know, replacing jobs and all the things, and I'm. It's going to be, you know, great. It's going to change the world. But it's funny how often we hear client service as paramount to success in this space. The human connection is still Yes. Yes. Absolutely. But we are so grateful for your time. I'd love to end us on, a lesson for a young law student. A a new, attorney who's thinking about maybe starting their own firm or jumping to a bigger firm. What's, 1 or 2 things that they should be thinking about or know beyond, everything else that you've taught us today, which has been amazing. If you're going to start your own law firm, my biggest suggestion is ask everybody you trust for their input, their thoughts. Don't take it personally. If they tell you they don't think it's a good idea. They're not naysaying you. They're just giving you their concerns. And you did ask. So you can't be mad at them. Take everything in as it is, as, you know, part of the process. Take it all under advisement and then literally write it out. I am big on handwriting things. I hand wrote the bar exam, for crying out loud. And I would make lists every weekend in the morning of things that I want to accomplish for the next week, the next year, the next five. I still have those lists. So I would do that if I were starting a new law firm, or if I was coaching somebody and starting a law firm. As far as the jumping to a bigger firm, when I evaluated the options and there were three lovely and very accomplished, firms have great lawyers in them. I considered which one was the experience that I wanted to have based upon the conversations I had. I didn't think about money, so much that I thought about the individuals I'd be working with. Would we mesh? Well, the three individuals I worked with were all from, Long Island. I was I'm originally from New York, so we all got along. At least we had the same, favorite sports team in mind. So. But, you know, joking aside, they were great people. And I meshed well, and so I didn't think about the money. I thought about what can they what can they teach me? What can I offer them? And how can I work hard to, you know, achieve those goals? So you think about it from that perspective. I at no point in either of those two, if you're going to jump to a bigger firm or you're going to start your own, you really should not be thinking about, well, what's going to give me the balance of life? I'm not saying you shouldn't have won. I'm just saying that if you want to be really successful and if you're an entrepreneur, you're working all the time in your in, in some way, fashion or form. So that work life balance is about I don't I don't subscribe to it to some extent. I, I've had to learn as I have a child, and making time for her. But that's part of the thing. She knows if I'm taking a phone call, you know, I might be helping somebody or I might be doing something important. So it's all about focusing what you have in front of you at the moment. But don't think about a clock. There is no clock. Yep. Yes. Thank you. I appreciate it. If you liked this episode and want to hear more about the revenue roadmap and successful family law firms, make sure to subscribe and check us out as we're interviewing successful law firm owners every single week. Thanks and have a great day.
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